A Final Meeting
by Sekirei1988
Summary: Forty-five years after their last meeting, Talvas Fathryon journeys to Skyrim to meet with Eriah before she joins Sovngarde's honored dead. Seeking peace, Talvas comes clean about the darkness that nearly overtook him the last time the Dragonborn visited Solstheim. Takes place before Faal Dovahkiinro Laat Sul. One-shot. COMPLETE


_10th of Sun's Height, 4E 251_

Talvas Fathryon walked up to the gates of Solitude. He had been traveling across Skyrim for a solid three months to make it there. A fully-realized wizard, Talvas had decided the time had come for him to seek out the Dragonborn and come clean about certain things in their shared history. He had written her to let her know he was planning to travel to Skyrim to visit her and she wrote back telling him he was more than welcome to and that she would be found in Solitude. Heading into the city, Talvas walked up to a Stormcloak soldier. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Proudspire Manor," he said. The soldier gave him a look over but it was with interest, rather than scorn. Talvas even noted the soldier was actually an Imperial, which was very interesting considering the Stormcloaks were traditionally Nords. "You wouldn't happen to be Talvas Fathryon, by chance?" the soldier asked. "I am," the Dunmer replied, wondering how this soldier knew who he was. He was nowhere near as famous as his former master, the Telvanni wizard Neloth.

"My name is Samuel, son of Eriah. I was told you would be coming to visit. Mother asked me to look out for a Dunmer wizard and to bring him to the house," the soldier said. Talvas recognized the name from his correspondence with the Dragonborn over the years. She was especially proud of her children. So this was her son. Samuel turned to his fellow soldier, telling her he'd return soon. He then led Talvas through the streets and came to stop before a grand house that stood proudly. It wasn't as tall as Tel Mithryn but it was quite impressive and must've cost a very pretty septim. Samuel entered and Talvas followed. He led him up the stairs to a bedroom door and knocked. "Who is it?" came a voice. Samuel opened the door. Talvas came around the Imperial and let a smile tug the corners of his mouth. Eriah saw who was with her son and she smiled, sitting up a bit straighter. The Dunmer came to sit at the chair while Samuel excused himself to return to his post.

Talvas studied Eriah with a keen eye. She adjusted the covers before looking at him. "How old I must look to you," she said. The wizard just chuckled and shook his head. He had also visibly aged since they last met but not to the same extent. Like all mer, he was far older than he looked. Eriah was eighty years old by this point but to Talvas, she remained the beautiful young woman he had met in his youth. "Never," he said, hesitantly reaching out a hand. Eriah took it and he felt that familiar strength. "What has brought you all the way to Solitude, my old friend? All you said in your letter was that you were planning to come but you declined to give a reason," Eriah said. "I came here because I need to come clean about something that happened decades ago. I knew that you'd pass someday so this is probably my last chance to talk about it. Do you remember...when we last met on Solstheim?" he asked. "I do. Not a day has gone by where that hasn't been in my thoughts in some capacity. I'm truly sorry, Talvas. It feels like all I ever did was throw your feelings back in your face," Eriah said. "No, it's okay. Like I said then, I was a selfish, pathetic man who caused you more pain than you ever caused me. I never held it against you. Of that, you can be sure," he assured her.

Eriah's hold tightened slightly to reassure him. The Dunmer looked at her before setting his other hand on hers. "When we spoke at the Temple, dark thoughts entered my heart. I...I seriously considered taking you by force. After all, you were unarmed and unarmored. It would've been easy. All I'd have to do was seal your Voice so you couldn't Shout and physically overpowering you wouldn't have been too difficult. I thought that if I couldn't have you willingly, I would just take what I felt was owed to me. I thought if I drove you into enough guilt, you would've felt like you could never return to your husband. I even considered simply seducing you and if I could prove myself a superior lover, you'd stay with me of your own will. My desperation drove me to the darkness and even now, the guilt eats away at me. I don't deserve forgiveness but I apologize from the bottom of my heart for harboring such atrocious thoughts. I know now that I would've gotten myself killed if I had tried and I wish to know what I must do to redeem myself," he explained. His grey skin was flush with shame and his eyes were downcast.

Eriah was quiet as she took in what she heard. At her age, it didn't surprise her in the least. Talvas was a passionate soul, especially for a Dunmer. While they had remained on good terms throughout the years, their youth in the past had made the friction between them pretty intense. Talvas had confessed his love to her when she was ready to leave Solstheim upon Miraak's defeat. Five years later and those same feelings had never changed. Hearing he had entertained the idea of forcing himself on her wasn't the least bit shocking, truth be told. She had always been at risk of such a scenario long before the thought entered the wizard's mind and she had various ways of preventing such things. He had unknowingly underestimated her like many of her enemies had and she would've killed him if he had tried. He would've been deemed a threat she'd have to stamp out. Since he didn't act on the darkness, it proved his strength of heart and morals far more than he seemed to know.

Reaching over to set a hand on his grey face, Eriah smiled gently at the wizard whose red eyes looked at her in confusion. "You've redeemed yourself long ago, _dii wuth fahdon_. You considered the idea but you never followed through. On top of that, you went a step further and freed me of the burden of your feelings. I cried for you, Talvas. It broke my heart to know that I caused you to suffer. You knew deep down that no matter how much you loved me, it never would've worked out between us. It was the same for me, you remember. No matter how much I loved him, I knew that I was never meant to stand at Ulfric Stormcloak's side," she said. Talvas's eyes widened a bit at learning the name. Eriah had never told him who she had unrequited feelings for and he had never guessed she referred to her old commander. In hindsight, who else could it have been? The Stormcloaks had served under Ulfric directly, though his orders generally came through Galmar Stone-Fist. Knowing Eriah's full history since coming to Skyrim back in 4E 201, it was almost natural that she fell in love with the rebel Jarl and Skyrim's late High King.

"Am I truly forgiven, Eriah?" Talvas asked. "Yes. I understand you better than you know. I've lived with the shame of being in love with two men for most of my life. I have to talk to my children about that soon and I hope they will come to understand that in spite of that, my love for their father always came first. My husband is gone, Talvas. He's waiting for me in Sovngarde. I spend my days waiting for when I can join him. You still have a long life to live so I pray that you'll find happiness with someone someday," Eriah replied. Silence fell as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. Talvas looked over her again, his heart agonizing over the fact that human lives were so very short in comparison to a mer's. He knew her time was probably close at hand now and she was both at peace and eager to be reunited with those she loved who had gone before. A sense of sad acceptance settled in his heart. In life, her heart was never his to claim. In death, she would go to a place he could never follow. Sovngarde was for the Nords and Eriah had more than earned her right to enter. There was no place for a Dunmer there. "I don't know if I can," he said, quietly. "You can and you will. I don't want to go to Shor's Hall thinking that you'll carry this grief forever and to the detriment of your own happiness. I want to die at peace and believing you'll be okay when I'm gone. Even though I never returned your feelings, always remember that I am forever honored to know you loved me with such honesty," she assured him.

Talvas kissed the palm of her hand and sighed. "What about Miraak? Does he...still hold some sway?" he asked. Eriah chuckled, letting her hand drop before cracking her shoulders. "It's hard to know if things regarding the man were ever resolved on my end but at this point in my life, I think I was entertaining feelings that were never actually there. I can definitely say for certain that no, I never did love him in any capacity. He and I merely were two of a kind, a pair of mortals shaped by Akatosh to deal with Alduin. Miraak refused the call so his mantle passed to me. However, it remains true that my right to end Miraak was denied and I still lost him. He was and still remains my kin through our birthright. We were both played for fools by the Prince of Knowledge and Fate," Eriah explained. Her hand came to rest on her chest. "I've grown to care about him in a sense and I've kept him safe for all these years. I will make sure Mora never gets his tentacles on him. I would go so far as to take his place in Apocrypha because no matter the things he did, my compassion won't allow me to see one of my kind in the service of a Daedra. I can't save Durnehviir from the Ideal Masters and I'll be damned if I don't do something to protect Miraak from our common foe." she said, speaking of the dracolich necromancer she had met in the Soul Cairn while dealing with Lord Harkon.

Her convictions made the wizard pause but he soon chuckled, saying nothing at first. Of course, her sense of self-sacrifice would never let her abandon someone she respected to a Prince she hated with such venom. Respect was a neutral feeling. You could outright loathe someone and still respect them. That was the case where Miraak was concerned. Eriah had never loved the Dragon Priest and she despised him for the suffering he had caused Solstheim. She did, however, respect his motivations. They both had a shared hatred for Hermaeus Mora and a shared birthright as children of Akatosh. She felt indebted to him because he was partially the reason she had the life she had lived. She could never fully condemn him for that. Akatosh needed someone to put Alduin in his place and when Miraak rejected his destiny, Eriah was chosen as the dragon god's Plan B. Either way, it got the job done and Alduin had been banished to the nether reaches of Aetherius.

Eriah pulled the covers off and started getting out of bed. Talvas stood up to help her but she rebuffed his attempts with a smile. "Relax. I'm old but I'm not feeble," she said, laughing a little. The Dunmer's face burned in embarrassment but he followed her out of the room and down to the manor's basement. They rounded the corner and Talvas was greeted by the sight of two mannequins. One wore armor made of dragon bones, a suit he had never seen her wear but had known about. The other bore Miraak's robes and mask. "So you did enshrine him, just as you said you would all those years ago," Talvas said, feeling the subtle magic that still filled the mask. "Yes. I brought you down here to ask a favor," Eriah said, her hand reaching up to brush the mask. The wizard looked at her as she brought her brown eyes over to meet his red ones. "I've made arrangements to be buried at sea with all of Miraak's effects, including the mask. My reasoning is that Skyrim doesn't need some imposter breaking into a tomb to steal the mask and causing trouble with it. Burning it would prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. You're the only wizard I know and trust who has even a remote chance of undoing all the enchantments that gave Miraak his powers as a Dragon Priest. I can't trust the mask to actually burn with me if it remains enchanted," she explained.

"Why haven't you brought this to me sooner?" Talvas asked. Eriah looked back towards the mannequin in question. "I couldn't bring myself to and I didn't want to risk it being stolen from me somehow. I've kept it safe all these years and while my children are dependable, it's better for it to be destroyed after I'm gone. I don't know how long you were planning on staying in Skyrim but I want your word that when I die, you find some way to break the enchantments on this mask before I'm put to the fire at sea," she said. Talvas looked at the mask. He knew that Dragon Priest masks were powerful artifacts granted to men by the dragons themselves. Miraak's was a bit different because it had the feel of a Daedric artifact. No surprise there since it was very likely a gift from Hermaeus Mora when Miraak entered his service. He didn't think he'd have too much difficulty stripping the mask of its magic. "You have my word that it will be done, Eriah," he said. The Dragonborn smiled before heading over to the stairs. "Thank you. I have one other order of business to discuss with you," she said. Talvas followed her up to the living room.

"Barring a few things, everything I own is going to my children to do with as they see fit. Miraak's robes and weapons are obviously going to be burned with me, along with select other items. My Elven warhammer is going to be given to my friend and mentor, Paarthurnax. I wish to gift you with something because, despite our ups and downs, you've remained a good friend to me after all these years," she said. Talvas tried to protest that she didn't need to leave him anything but the Dragonborn held a hand up for silence. "Come now, Talvas. Few of my friends are still alive and I wouldn't feel right not leaving you with something. I've arranged for the ownership of Severin Manor to be turned over to you in full. While I had given you the key years ago, the house technically remained in my name. I don't know if you're still residing in Tel Mithryn but once you inherit the Manor, you can do whatever you'd like. You can either make it your residence or sell it to someone else. I would trust its fate with no other. You also have a pick of any weapon in my various homes, except Auriel's Bow. I'm bequeathing it to the Dawnguard," Eriah said.

Talvas was floored by the very generous gift. He had used the Manor a few times over the years when he needed a change of scenery. He had never stayed for more than a week at any given time because it didn't feel right. "You're too kind," he said, echoing long ago words. "It's also a practical way to dispatch the house, truth be told. Samuel and Sofie have their lives here in Solitude so they have no use for property in Morrowind and they won't have to travel all the way there to take care of it. You're the best person to hand it over to," Eriah said. The Dunmer man smiled before unsheathing the ebony dagger she had gifted him years ago. "I accept the house, Eriah, but this dagger will suffice as a memento. I don't need anything more," he said, holding it up for her to see. She smiled when she saw it and held out a hand for it. She looked it over when it was given and she brushed some white hair from her face. "You've kept it in good condition. The edge is still as sharp as the day I gave it to you," she said. "I've treasured it for the past fifty years. It's a symbol of the kindness you showed me when I was young, stupid, and hopelessly in love," Talvas said, taking the dagger back when she held it out.

His face grew thoughtful, his brow furrowing. "Eriah...did your husband ever know about me?" he asked. She looked at him, equally thoughtful, before closing her eyes. "Yes. After I came clean about my feelings for Ulfric, I held nothing back from him. He knew all about our shared history. Before you start worrying, let me assure you that Farkas was incredibly understanding about everything. He never once felt threatened. I never deserved him as a husband and to this day, I don't think I was a good enough wife with the amount of baggage I was carrying. Still, he stayed by my side and our forty-five years together were the best years of my life," Eriah explained. Talvas watched as her eyes filled with tears and she brought a hand to her mouth to stifle the sorrow. He wanted to hold her but felt he shouldn't. "I'm sorry. It's been five years since he passed on but not a day goes by where I don't feel his absence. He was my rock," she apologized with a shaky voice. Talvas came to kneel down by her chair. "Don't be sorry. I know what it's like to lose someone...even though she's sitting right in front of me," he said, taking a hand.

The old woman looked down at him and smiled a little before setting a hand on his face again. "I can never apologize enough for all this, even though neither of us holds any real blame. I'd like to think things turned out for the best for both of us, even if it doesn't seem like it to you at first. Your people are long-lived. Fifty years is nothing to you so I don't blame you if you still feel the pain of rejection as acutely now as you did then," she said. "I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me still but don't forget what I told you at the Temple. I care only for your happiness and I'm glad that you've lived a life you were proud of. You're still that strong, beautiful woman I fell in love with and I can't fully express my gratitude that you let a sad, selfish man like me continue to love you from a distance," he said. Eriah leaned forward to rest her forehead to his. Silence fell for a moment before she sat back. "Can you help me back to my room? All this talk of past actions and regrets leaves me feeling weary," she said.

Talvas stood up to his full height and gently took her left arm. He helped her to feet and walked her up the stairs. She was shorter than he remembered but that was the thing with humans. They tended to shrink as they passed into their twilight years. Eriah wasn't that much shorter than she had been in her youth but her long years had taken their toll. Talvas's heart broke all over again knowing this was probably the last time they'd be able to speak like this. It was always a risk for a mer to fall in love with a human. Their lives were so fleeting. One day, they were young and strong. The next, they were old and grey. Talvas had known for the past fifty years that he had set himself up for quite the downfall because he had been one of those unlucky bastards to have fallen in love with a human. Still, the comfort it had given him over the years would outlast the grief that there had been no room for him in her heart. He had promised to move on and he would keep that promise.

In her room, Talvas helped her to bed and the Dragonborn sank down onto the mattress with a sigh. The wizard pulled the covers up and brushed her snow-white hair aside. "Thank you for visiting me, Talvas. It meant more to me than you know," Eriah said. A smile graced his lips as he leaned over a bit. "If I don't get to see you before your time comes, Eriah, it was a real honor to have known you. You are and always shall be my friend. Even if someone else is in my future, my love for you will remain. If I can ask just one more selfish request of you, I wish for you to go to Sovngarde with my love and to never forget me while you revel in Shor's Hall," he said. Eriah's brown eyes met his red ones and she reached out to take his hand again. "I could never forget you, my friend. May Talos guide you and Akatosh preserve you," she said as her customary farewell. Talvas leaned down and kissed her forehead. Standing up straight, the Dunmer saw her eyes were closed and she was drifting off to sleep. He quietly left the room and closed the door. Upon leaving the Manor, he paused before heading over to the nearby porch and leaned against the stone. The Sea of Ghosts stretched out as far as the eye could see. His eyes swam and he started to grieve.


End file.
